


Achievement Age

by achievementage (Taymatoes)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Choose Your Own Adventure, Loosely follows plot of Dragon Age II, Multi, more explained in the author's notes, sort of, word count may be skewed due to images
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-18
Updated: 2015-01-18
Packaged: 2018-03-08 03:27:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3193574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taymatoes/pseuds/achievementage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a year of indentured servitude with the smugglers, Ferelden refugees Gavin and Dan find themselves struggling to find coin and make names for themselves in Kirkwall. However, they will soon find themselves and a merry band of misfits thrown into the heart of Kirkwall's chaotic political world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Quest: This Hard Knock Life [Part 1]

**Author's Note:**

> This project can be found (in its main format) here: achievementage.tumblr.com
> 
> The nature of Achievement Age leaves the plot progression, character interactions, relationships, and romance up to the readers. After the end of each chapter, a choice will be offered to be made by the readers. This fic will be updated alongside the main tumblr blog.
> 
> A more in depth explanation on Achievement Age can be found here: http://bit.ly/1KU514D

 

       

They had been out of work for two weeks. There was approximately five coppers in his pocket, not even enough to get him a shot of the garbage they had at the Hanged Man. Not that he felt like drinking in the first place. It was too bloody hot to be comfortably drunk. 

It was too bloody hot to be much of anything. His and Dan’s tiny clay hovel had turned into an oven in this heat, leaving Gavin stretched out on the steps in just his undershirt and trousers. He didn’t know how Dan stood wearing his full armor in this heat.

Gavin’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy boots on dirt. He perked up from his lounging position just enough to be blinded by the glare off meticulously polished armor. Speak of the devil.

The mage opened his mouth but a rumble in his stomach drowned the words under a meager gurgle. As unappealing as job-hunting sounded, it was necessary. They would not survive the next three days on the coin they had left.

“Alright B,” The words were carried by a heavy sigh as the Gavin reluctantly went into their personal stone oven to retrieve his proper attire.

He reemerged, already sweating like a hog, and carrying his staff. Normally, an apostate wouldn’t dare emerge from his home carrying a staff, but out of sheer-dumb luck, Gavin had one unassuming staff. No soul would consider his pitiful stick capable of magic.

"Now what?" Gavin asked, tugging at his fur collar. Maybe this job would leave enough coin left over for some new, lighter robes.

If Dan was hot in his heavy armor, he didn't show it. “We have a few options. We could try out luck in Hightown, find some work in Lowtown, and if we’re desperate there’s always Darktown.”

What does Gavin choose?

c. What's a little questionable legality? [Darktown] >>


	2. Chapter 2

Gavin bit his lip, considering his choices for a moment before coming to a decision. “What’s a little questionable legality?” He said with a smirk that fell short when the familiar glint of mischief failed to appear in Dan’s eyes. Instead his friend only sighed and nodded. They both knew Darktown was their best chance of finding work, while it may not be legal, which still did not sit well with Dan. 

Their year with the smugglers had corrupt Gavin. He would admit it. He loved the underground despite it’s cold, damp, and smelly nature because he was free. No one could give two shits if he was an apostate, he could use his magic and swing his staff in the open as long as he kept an eye out for Templars. There was a rush to this newfound freedom.

However, it was never freedom for Dan. For each day Gavin enjoyed freedom, Dan lost his spirit as he swung his sword through bandits the same way he did his laundry. Listless and without a feeling of purpose.

“Ey, B—“ Gavin wanted to apologize, but his friend had already turned toward the gaping hole that was the entrance to Darktown. “We don’t—“

Whether it was a passive aggressive display or a true gesture of apathy, Dan walked ahead without hearing a single word.

 

Sometimes Gavin wondered if being sent back to Fereldan would have been so bad.

When they had arrived in Kirkwall, fresh off the boat seasick, miserable, and still covered in darkspawn blood no one was allowed inside the city. Citizens milled around the gates of the Gallows shouting obscenities and threatening the guard to let them in. For a moment, Gavin feared they would be sent right back to the gore and misery. The anxiety knotted his stomach into beautiful and gruesome shapes. He clutched his miserable stick of a staff and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

Then there was a soft push on his lower back, propelling his forward through the crowd toward the shouting guard. Clearly in charge, the man was practically foaming at the mouth as he argued with a old crone half his size. He didn’t even glance in Gavin and Dan’s direction as the soldier marched his panicking friend forward.

The rest was a whirlwind of Gavin desperately clinging to his last shreds of calm as Dan schmoozed his way into talking with the head guard. His time in the army had taught him just how to deal with these power-hungry bastards. When the head guard sent them away when they failed to produce a hefty enough bribe, someone else had been waiting in the wings to pounce on them.

Her name was Arryn, the leader of a small smuggler’s den, and at first she only offered Dan a path into the city.

“Go,” Gavin wanted to urge his friend. “You have already given up so much for me, this is your chance.” 

Dan grabbed the back of Gavin's robe and yanked his skinny frame next to him protectively. “Thank you serah, but where I go, he goes.”

For a moment, Arryn looked to be on the verge of retracting her offer when her eyes slipped over Gavin’s staff and turned his blood to ice. “Are you an apostate?” She asked, lowering her voice but not losing the glint in her eye.

“He—“ Dan started, but was silenced as Arryn held up a finger.

Gavin took a deep breath, fighting the heat that rose in his face. He was not this pathetic, worthless, weak. His father would have a right snit if he were there. Straightening up, Gavin puffed out his chest.

“Bloody right I am,” there was a flood of relief when his voice did not crack. “I apologize, but if you call the Templars, you won’t have hands left to show them which way we went.” It was absolutely an empty threat, but it was better than nothing.

For a moment, silence hung between them. Arryn’s friends had bristled at the threat, their eyes locked on Dan that had fallen into a similar defensive position. Gavin waved his friend’s hand away from the hilt of his sword as the elf burst into laughter.

“No no, I do not care about some shemlen mages. Can you fight with that pitiful thing because if that were the case, then I will pay your way into the city as well?"

Dan was never happy about working for smugglers, but at the moment, it was better than the unthinkable possibility of being thrown to the maws of the Blight.

These memories resurfaced as Gavin and Dan road the shaky lift down to the mines. Over the last year, they had learned its passages and secrets like the back of their hands. Now it was time to use those skills to make coin of their own.

When the lift reached a shuddering stop, Gavin and Dan were wretched from their silence as they both cursed. Darktown stretched out before them. If HIghtown was bustling, Lowtown was shuffling, then Darktown would be crawling. It inched its way through the mud, grimy and blind as worms, until some unfortunate shoe came down upon their heads.

However, there was always someone willing to pay good coin for someone to crawl in the mud for them.

Looking about the market, business seemed slow. “Maybe we should delve in deeper,” Gavin said, cheekily elbowing his friend. His was punished with a metal clang and a sharp pain in his arm. “We’ll find some sap that needs his goods moved out of the city. Get back in the old smuggling tunnels.” They knew those routes like the back of their hands and people paid good money to get themselves or goods out unnoticed.

Still, Gavin knew he was pushing it. Dan shifted uncomfortably and shuffled toward the nearest dirty stall. “We should stick with the merchants. They at least make a semi-legal wage.” A meager wage at that.

b. “You’re right, let’s shake these old geezers and see if coin comes out.” [Merchants]

>> New Quest: Delivery Service


	3. Quest: Delivery Service [Part 1]

“Eh, you’re right B.” Gavin shrugged and took a few wide steps to catch up with his friend. “Some cleanish coin will feel right better for a change.” He smiled wide up at Dan who returned it uneasily. No matter what, Dan was going to be jumpy and Gavin was going to have to accept it. “Let’s see what these nug humpers have for us.”

As it would turn out, they didn’t have to go far. They were barely twenty steps from the lift when a familiar voice called out. “Hey, boys, over here!”

The source was a familiar face. “Barbara!” Gavin practically shouted in response, waving like a child as he ran over to the booth. Standing behind the counter, the elf in question put down the various herbs she had been sifting through and pushed aside two, giant jars of questionable liquid.

“Been a long time. Did you and Dan finish your time with Arryn?”

Dan smirked. “Finally. Now we’re looking for work.”

Barbara seemed to perk up at the mention. “Well, business has been slow here since the Coterie have their own poison makers and Arryn has been scarce lately. And the only business I could find is this grumpy hermit that lives in the darkest part of Darktown.” The elf slid the giant jars over in front of Gavin. 

 Lumpy, black liquid sloshed around inside and Gavin fought the desire to gag. “As you can imagine, I am just  _delighted_ ” She put an emphasis on the pun with a cheesy grin across her face. “to deliver these every few days.”

“You want us to deliver this?” Dan asked, barely attempting to hide the skepticism in his voice.

“The last time I tried, I almost got mugged twice on the way there and the way back.” Barbara shrugged. 

 “Wait, wait one second.” Gavin held up a finger. “There’s a ‘dark part’ of Darktown? I assumed all of it was the worst.” A cheeky smile spread across his face that was not reciprocated by any of his audience.

 Instead, Dan shoved one of the jars hard against his chest. “We’ll take them, just point us in the right direction.”

 And they were truly sent to the seediest section of Darktown. The few merchant stalls and corner beggars had morphed into armed fiends and glowering eyes following them from every dark corner. To stay his nerves, Gavin focused on placing one foot in front of the other and watched with a mixture of disgust and fascination at the dark froth that had formed at the top of the jar.

He had seen this stuff before, a voice in the back of his head insisted.

As if reading his mind, Dan cleared his throat. “Do you know what this stuff is Gav? I know Barbara’s about as upstanding as poison merchants in Darktown come, but is this stuff dangerous?”

“Dunno.” Gavin shrugged. “I would have to smell it and if it smells like anus then it probably is. Usually a given for poisons.”

“I just,” Dan shuffled and came to a dead stop, holding the jar an arm’s length away. “I don’t trust handing these over to some hideaway in Darktown if they’re really dangerous.”

“And to think that I thought the smugglers would have destroyed your moral compass.”

“We were practically slaves, I had no room to speak. I do now.” Dan said, cradling the jar in one arm with his free hand on the lid.

“These have a seal on them,” Gavin started to object. He had noticed the fine line of red wax keeping the lid in place.

Dan either didn’t hear him or didn’t care. His grip tightened on the lid.

a. Stop Dan from opening the jar.

b. Let Dan open the jar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first part where you can vote on AO3. Comment to pick either choice and these will be counted with any votes through tumblr!


End file.
